I want the legs to touch so you get feedback to tell you if you are doing the exact same position every time. If they are apart you need to look down, video, or have a friend tell you if you are doing the exact same move. The other instruction is not thinking of the swing the way I am. I think you would want to do the exact same position each time so you swing doesn’t fall apart. If this is the case then please keep touching them.

Kenneth ,I agree with you :I have gone to all the existing golf sites and read all the books written on golf (I’m over 80 and play since 1968)and PAUL’s the best teacher of the game:he teaches the classical “Scottish” method in a deliberate and methodical way .
Sometimes ,however ,you get some new ideas worthwhile trying from other great teachers,but after testing them ,I always go back to Paul and submit them to him to find out what he thinks of them ,and his advice is always pretty sound .

G’day Paul,
Oh boy, this is a boring repetitive game – doing the same thing over and over.
Thanks for re-enforcing one of your principles. Some pros referred to swinging through the ball. I think overcoming human nature to hit the ball is the hard part.
Ben

Swinging through it is not precise enough. If you do not know exactly where you are swinging through to you will not do it so you will go back to hitting. If you know the exact point now you can stay focused and repeat it. Keep on making it boring.

Paul,
Today I played 18 holes and used the A to B technique and only thought of the two positions when making every swing. Towards the end of the round one of the other players in my group commented on my good hip turn during my swings. I had told no one in the group what I was doing today. I then got kidded and called the ‘Hipster’. I had a good round and intend to use this tip going forward. Thanks for the advice.
Rich

I am watching all your tips…. I came off of the fantastic golf school with you last April and swung (and scored) really well. Towards the end of the season I lost it a bit… then started thinking too much… AND it IS the follow through and finish that I need to start practicing again to get it back!! It’s so simple right? Touch the legs and touch the club to the back of your head!! Hollie

Where should your club make contact with the ball when going to Point B?
Is it directly behind the ball? Is it at about 7:30 going to 1:30? What is the point of impact that I should be trying to pass through.
Didn’t mean to be rough on you about asking me to join again. This is really important to me and I have turned numerous people on to your free tips. I have been a student of the game for over 40 years and think this is a swing I can take into my 70’s and beyond. I very much want my friends and even new aquaintences to be made aware of. You have been blessed witha wonderful way of communicating.
Aloha,

The club will make contact with the ball while still on the way down and slightly from the inside. It hits the ball. The ball sticks to the face for a millisecond then is released from the face (moment of separation). As the club is continuing on the arc the face squares the ball separates from the face (hopefully).

I am not sure why you are even thinking of this. Impact is not the widest point of the arc so why do you care about it? If you are using physics to hit the ball the mass (club) needs to swing to the widest point of the arc. This occurs after the ball is hit.

So you should be trying to set the club at the top Point A. You then start the downswing with the lower body. The arms are turned off. You are thinking about making it to Point B (my follow through positions). If you move from Point A to Point B the ball will be hit perfectly. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking about impact. You don’t need to.

You certainly can use this swing into your 70’s and even 80’s. At 82 one of my students just shot 39 for 9 holes on a very tough course. He also flies it 250+.

watching your tips since Easter this year,I just practice turning my shoulders then touch my knees on the downswing,I must say my golf and confidence has improved out of sight that I’ve come down to an eleven handicap!My swing thought on long shots is simply swing from A to B works pretty much 90 per cent of the time,just fantastic thanks Paul.

That’s great news. I love hearing it. Now just keep doing what you are doing and try to make the positions even more precise. As you keep looking like a better player your handicap will keep dropping. It’s all about the movement. Perfect movement = perfect shots.

With the driver, how can you minimize turning the shoulders too quickly to the target that may lead to hitting across the golf ball or even having the passive arms lag behind the knee touch and shoulder turn leading to an open face causing a push fade or a slice? The seems to happen more often when trying to improve the distance of the ball flight by increasing the turning/knee touching more rapidly. Not good.

Your shoulders uncoiling early would have you pulling it not pushing it. Driving the legs too hard would cause the pushes and push fades. I just did tips on this. Did you not see them? You need to hook it first before you drive the lower body harder. This will allow the release to be timed with the harder leg drive.

Paul,
Your golf tips are fantastic, and the drills do work. It does take discipline, though, to make sure that you practice them every day. Even if I can’t get out to the range, I pick up a club every day, and I practice the the “loose-wrist” and “knee-touch” drills.
Art

Yes, everything takes work. Unfortunately, the great majority of golfers want instant results so they won’t put in the effort. Instead, they try band aids that don’t work. So thy just keep spinning their wheels. I like the fact you get it and will be working on your swing at home as well. This really is the fastest way to get it. Keep at it and it will pay off huge in the future.

Paul ,When I swing with the “TOUCH YOUR LEGS ,TOUCH YOUR HEAD “motto ,my club comes across the neck ,parallel to the ears ,it’s not not the head it touches but the neck
I attribute the difference to stiffness in my left shoulder(It’s a bit sore ) .
Is it important I correct this difference with your instruction ?
Other point :when I swing ,I mainly think (Apart from your motto ) to the tempo of the swing ,makng sure I ‘m not too slow in the backswing and fast enough in the throughswing(The 3/1 ratio of JOHN NOVOSEL )
Doing so does”smoothens ” my swing and take out some of the kinks it has surely .

Although Freddie Couples was more toward the neck and parallel he is the exception. If you are doing it I would think you have as slight chicken wing. This would explain the lack of distance. I would be stretching it out after impact more. If you do you will see that the club touches more in the middle of your head.

Hi Paul,
Philip here from Ireland. Gotta tell you this! Was watching your tip this morning – my wife beside me at the breakfast table. As you recommended practice swings around the house, she burst out: “We’re living it Paul! We’re living it!!!!!!!!!” Best wishes and thanks for all the work. My swing is getting there!

I really look forward to your tips. Having been watching for over a year, I am now seeing how your tips may be presented with a different move or concept but they are part of the big package. When I watched the A to B tip, I realized that I am doing it already as a result of a different tip, which is my favorite. That tip you used the image of the skater at the end of the line. This is my thought as I swing, make a big arc like that skater. Couple this with the no sway tip, touch the legs, extend the arms and hit the back of the head, the result is a pretty nice golf swing.

I would be curious as to your members favorite tips and how they helped.

Nothing I really planned as far as shooting the tips. I am just racking my brains on how to cover things I have not already covered or explain things in a different way so people get it. Glad you like them.

Not sure about other members favorite tips. Maybe members reading this can let us know.

Glad you are finally understanding it. This is my whole goal when teaching. I hated guessing many years ago. Always seemed like a waste of time and nothing worked. Once I fully understood it and could fix any flaw instantly it was like a huge weight lifted from my shoulders.

In the 80’s I was in the same boat as you. No clue what I was working on. I was hitting 1,000 balls a day and getting nowhere. Not fun.

Hi Paul
I had tried the follow through advice of touching the head.
But my body was raising early even though my endpoint was perfect
. My teacher told keep looking down at the ball.
If we look at the ball it is hard to stop thinking about the ball.
I tried to look at the ball impact and path of flight about a feet after that
so that I don’t raise my body early so it worked sometimes. But still not always.
Can you please give more check points right from address till the end in one video/audio
so that we can swing very slowly ( say 1 mile speed ) and make sure all are checked during practice swings.
Probably I can record the audio and play in my walkman while practicing.
What’s your opinion.
Thanks
-Shankar

Well, you need to be watching the ball as you hit it. You can also work on the spine angle into the follow through. Once you get it you will have it forever. So think of the follow through position to fix impact.

Hi paul
Great vid as always
My question doesn’t relate to this clip but I wanted to know how far the driver should sit behind the ball before u swing ?
In the last few months I have been having mine 4 or 5 inches behind the ball just seems to help me with weight transfer as I know I have to shift the weight or I won’t hit the ball well

I put mine a few inches behind too. I just didn’t like knocking the ball off the tee. You can keep doing his if you wish. It’s really up to you. Just don’t favor this back leg with your weight. This will get you tilting too much behind it causing pushes and push fades.

Agreeing to not think about the shoulders, are you still not able to confirm the position of your shoulders when striking the golf ball? Should they be squared with the target line or partially closed or partially open? Does this not matter for the best outcome of the shot? Your videos do not comment on the position of the shoulders when it comes to the actual strike of the ball other than not thinking about them.

Hi Paul. Great tip as usual. I was wondering wether I could also think of releasing the club right after impact. It helps me to get to point B without thinking. I know this differs a little bit since somehow you’re thinking of impact instead of point B, but it has help me to release the club and has given me improved consistency reducing pushing the ball and hitting draws

You would and should be working on your release until you master it. Then you are not thinking about it. So look towards mastering it into the future. Then you can think of not hitting or helping the shot in any way with your arms. Just go to the ending point.

You start at address and make your way to the top to create momentum to coil your upper body. Starting from a static top of the backswing would not allow you to create and use the same amount of torque. Plus you look weird starting from the top in a static position.

No, you need the stress. The stress of coiling is a good thing. You coil up tight in the backswing and uncoil with the lower body to hit it. Just coil back to the point you can coil around a stable base. Don’t over do it.

Hey Paul:
Okay, I’ve really been trying point A to B for the last few days, however, I’m having difficulty, interruption, whatever, with keeping the eyes/head focused and behind the ball until after impact and on to B. In my mind, this maintenance of head/eyes is getting in the way of smooth A to B. Maybe start A, then A&1/2, then B? I know it’s a mind thing, but I have this head still until after the impact (2 ft with irons, 3 with woods) fighting with me? How do you and pro’s reconcile this?
Thanks
Bruce

Sounds like you are too stuck. You are looking at the ball until you hit the ball. The golf swing is so fast if you are looking at the ball as you hit it by the time you swivel your head you would already be at 3/4 through. So lighten up and quit thinking about it. Watch the ball as you hit it. That’s all. Don’t over analyze it. Get in a good position at the top. Then go to the end. If you are hitting it thin or topping it you are coming out of it. So slow down, loosen up and watch the ball a little longer. Keep it simple.